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One year ago today I was Banded!! So how was my year? Well, I was very very good for about 8-10 months and then I went back to my eating ice cream, too often. I almost always have soft serve but with jimmies(chocolate sprinkles, if you're not from Boston). I was going to the gym (since December, when my husband and I joined) about 4-6 times a week. As the nice weather came, that stopped. We are going today, we are in our workout clothes!! I need to get my s**t together and start over with my new life. My eating has been for the most part great. I love my morning protein shakes. I drink hot tea and iced tea all day and night. I brew my own iced tea, so it's decaf. I enjoy my large salad about 1 hour before my dinner. I have never used salad dressing, so I know I am great in that department. I do eat bread but only in restaurants with really great bread. I do have Chinese food with brown rice and where I usually eat you can get luncheon specials all day and I bring 1/2 of it home for another meal. Use to be I ate the whole plate full and then some more. I also never have fast food. I hate it. I know what you are thinking, a fat person who hates fast food! WOW! If I did any it was maybe french fries (no salt) (hate salt) or a shake and I gave them up and don't miss them at all. My grandsons are mad I won't go to McDonald's with them. Grampie will take them but never Grammie. So as far as my pounds lost, I started my weight loss March, 2012 with replacing breakfast with shakes and lost 26 pounds before my surgery. As of this morning I am down 74 big ones!!! Could it have been more-of course. I am not perfect. It was a few pounds more but the ice cream took care of that and the less moving of the body. I go to the doctor Friday for a fill. I have a 10 band with 3 fills for a total of 1.5 I guess my doctor goes slowly with the fills and I am fine with that. Everyone is different with your loss, eating and working out. Be you and not someone you're not. We do all compare ourselves to everyone, me included. Work towards who you want to be. Have a great day! I will try. Arlene aka "Eye Candy"

I for one am 63. I had never dreamed I could do this until I found a friend who had tried it. I bet their are many people who don't even know these exist. At least the older people.Maybe I am being naïve, but it is soooo new to me yet here I am set for banding on 8-23. I gave it a lot of thought. I have multiple diseases and chronic conditions, 33 pills a day and not feeling too hot anyway you put it. Anyway I am so happy to be here. I am finding out a lot of new things, to do and not to do. I have questions for my doctor. I found out about plication the other day. So I'm going to ask my doctor about that. Some have had it done and love it. So why I ask isn't there more of it heard about ? I see all these youngsters doing this procedure and I feel envious that I hadn't tried it way before now. But I still have a few good years and I want them to be my happiest ever. I have had many problems over the years as most of us have. Give me some feedback on those of you who have tried it and how you feel about it and those waiting to be banded. I am holding my breath hoping to get through the preop and worried about the procedure and after. Just genuine curiosity. Hope to hear from you soon. Donna

Hi Donna and welcome. I will be 63 in October and today is my one year. Best thing I ever ever did. You can read my blog right below yours and it sort of tells my journey. People complain about the pre-op diet being liquids and post-op liquids. Well we have eaten enough food (we wouldn't be here if we were perfect) to get us by. I never once thought of cheating because I was too afraid of what could happen to me. I never did any research either. I found this site after the band. I am not good with computers so I never went looking for the unknowns and I am fine with that. I had many things wrong with me, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, RLS, hernia, stomach in wrong place. Now I only take recommended vitamins and minerals everyday.

I crossed the finish line. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. The day of surgery I was up at four, showered again (my skin hated that soap) and did my skin prep (skin hated that as well) and dressed. I dressed in a sassy, long sleeveless maxi dress and high wedged sandals. I thought I looked cute lol. My friend came and off we went. The friend and I sat and talked for 30 minutes then I went into the hospital. They didn't start allowing folks into admissions until 5:45 so I had a 15 min wait. At the given time we go up and the steps of the journey begin. I was fine at first then I started praying that all goes well and I felt like crying. The tears were happy and sad, happy I was having the procedure and sad in thinking that if my mom had taken this chance she would still be here with me. I dried my eyes, I couldn't have folks think I was a chicken lol. And waited. All of the doctored, associated staff came by to introduce themselves etc., it was cool. I had the best nurses that setup my IV and checked my vitals. They assured me I would be fine and vouched for my surgeon big time. They said he did not play around and took his work very seriously. I felt all the stress leave me then. Then they said, it was time. Eight folks were in the room and all introduced themselves. I moved onto the table, they lined me up, strapped me in and put the gas on and I woke up in my room about noon. I need to be very clear on this point, I HATE MORPHINE! Ok, that's better. That stuff made me so sick. I worked too hard to it vomit. They made me walk in a morphine stupor, that my friends was ugly. I stopped using the morphine pump (PCA) at 10 pm that first night and felt tons better. My pain was minimal compared to the soreness I felt from trying to control muscles that have been operated on so I would not vomit. Day two was sooooo much better, 2am I buzzed the nurse and asked to walk. I did three laps around the long halls and felt good. Then I was told I could wash, that was like winning the lottery. At 6am I was up and walking again, two laps this time and once in my room I was allowed some peaceful time in the bathroom to wash and change my gown. The rest of the day was spent begging to have the foley removed and texting friends and family to let them know I was ok. Then cat napping. I was successful in getting the foley removed and having more quality time in the bathroom. I had a private room and wonderful nurses and CNAs to help me. My favorite nurse was named Karen. She was nice, friendly, and very helpful. About 2 pm I started making my arrangements for a ride home. My niece was staying a week with me so she had a friend come with her and they picked me up. I did not realize how scared she was for me, she burst in the room all wild eyed. I started laughing and asked what was wrong, she gave me a good looking over then said nothing, nothing just wanted to be sure you are ok. Later I found out why she was so worried. She visited some sites that told of horror or of things that went wrong for those having the sleeve. I assured her that I was fine and that if she had asked I would have shared the sites I used in my research. Today marks a week and one day since surgery and I have NO regrets! I feel good, I'm losing weight slow and easy. I can even administer my shots myself with ease. I am thankful and very blessed to have this opportunity. I'm glad I waited until this time in my life to have the procedure. A special thank you to all that read the posts and respond to them. They are life lines of insight into the WLS world, they help with issues, concerns, fears, successes, defeats, joy and pride. I would like to wish you all continued success on your journeys. Karen

I just turned 65. I was banded when I was 61. I have had my band for 3 1/2 years. I had wanted some kind of surgery for years, but had neither researched it, nor heard of lapbanding. I was never, too, self conscious until I was too heavy for one of the tables at a medical center, and they had to send me to another center which had a table for over 250 lbs. Then I was embarrassed! I was ready, too because of my arthritis and high blood pressure. Welcome to lapband!

Free work food has been a failing of mine for over a decade. I see it as a challenge, and that's part of my psyche make up. Growing up we competed for food, so I eat like a tornado and take pride in my consumption. Total backwards stupidity I know... Luckily, I took a new position in the same company and I moved away from the conference area where the free food always gets dumped. After I (hopefully) get sleeved, I'm sure I'll still have that temptation. They say they cut off the part that produces the FEED ME NOW hormone. I hope thats true, but if its not, my thought is to keep fluids up while not eating calories so the system never feels empty. And its so small it should be easy to keep water in it, right? I'll just be water cooled, like a small engine block...

I think you did okay.. Happy Birthday..

Before the sleeve, I constantly craved sweets, now, nothing! Occasionally, now my head will remember and I have decided that it has to be something of really good quality, i.e., homemade, fabulous, etc. I absolutely refuse to eat anything that is just so so anymore. Today, at the elementary school where I work, there were sweets everywhere for the Valentine's parties going on. The only thing I ate was a mini homemade red velvet cupcake and it was the perfect size, 3 bites and I was completely satisfied. Before my sleeve, I could have eaten 6 mini cupcakes and not be satisfied what so ever! The things I really miss are bread products, but it is just not worth the problems that I have experienced with bread. Hopefully one day I will be able to enjoy a small piece of a great bagel again.

After lots of hard, hard work, some worrying, some tears (mostly happy ones), lots and lots of happiness, lots of new discoveries about the new me, lots of wonderful changes, I can finally say I have (almost) reached my weight loss goal. Only 2 more pounds to go! Wow, what an amazing journey this has been. I am so happy to be able to do things that ordinary, thin folks do all the time and take for granted: walk around a store without sweating and breathing hard, walk up a small flight of stairs without wanting to pass out, take a walking tour of an historic town on vacation and not have to stop and rest and wipe sweat, shop and try on clothes without being flustered, sweaty, and agrivated, etc. My energy level is out the roof and I have been able to get back into doing my favorite things: DIY projects and furniture refurbishing. My health had gotten so bad because of the weight, that I just didn't feel like or have the energy to tackle DIY projects, which I absolutely adore doing. It feels so good to have the energy and drive that I had lost because of the weight. I don't ever want to be robbed of another moment, for the rest of my life, by weight and health issues. Before I lost the weight, I always hid my hurt and uncomfortableness about my weight with humor---even if I was dying inside and hurt by other people's rude and hurtful comments, I would laugh and be self depracating. One of the things I always joked about, when it was windy and stormy outside, is that I almost didn't make it into the building because I almost got blown away (when you weight 285 pounds, that is funny, cause it would take one heck of a storm to blow away a 285 pound woman) Now, I literally have that exact thing said to me: "You are going to dry up and blow away if you lose any more weight". WOW! How ironic, huh? But, this journey has never been about being skinny. It has been ALL about being healthy, and Praise God, I am healthy!!!!! I am alive, I am still here, and I am better than ever!!! I must go now--a storm is coming and I've got to find something heavy to hold on to, should the wind actually blow me away....... Heheheeeeeheeeee Signed, Skinny Minny

Our sleeve is a tool. We still have the demons inside our head to fight with. Don't dwell on relapses.....just start out with a fresh attitude of making good choices. Good luck